We went back to my room on the outskirts of the astral, a space carved out at the very edge of reality’s reach. The familiar stillness settled around us as Velarion lay down on the floor, his horns casting elongated shadows in the ethereal light.

  "So, tell me more about your journey."

  I blinked. That surprised me. Velarion never asked for details, not unless they were critical.

  Usually, he threw me into situations with little more than a cryptic warning and let me figure things out the hard way. If he was showing interest now, it meant something.

  Still, I didn’t question it. I told him about the Drak’nir, the Weavers, every strange, alien thing I had encountered. He listened with the same detached expression he always wore, seemingly unimpressed until I reached the part about my new skill.

  Before I could even explain how it happened, he stopped me.

  "How the hell did you manage to unlock that skill?" His eyes narrowed, his tone sharper than I’d ever heard before. "Some beings train for decades before they can even handle it."

  I hesitated. I still didn’t understand how the system worked. All I knew was that it functioned through intent but beyond that, it was a mystery. I needed to learn fast before I accidentally did something irreversible.

  "Well… I don’t know exactly how it happened," I admitted. "I was desperate, then I blacked out. When I woke up, the skill was blocked."

  Velarion snorted, shaking his head. "That was extremely foolish. You’d have died if the system didn’t block it."

  A chill ran down my spine. My instincts screamed at me to press for more details, but part of me wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

  "So can you unblock it?" I asked anyway.

  Velarion sighed, his golden eyes meeting mine. "I can… but I won’t. You’re not ready."

  I gritted my teeth, frustration bubbling up. I had felt it, just for a moment. The raw, endless power. If I could control it, harness it properly… But Velarion wouldn't even let me try?

  Before I could argue, he flicked his horns. Two glowing golden circles materialized in the air. One was large, radiating with a steady, pulsing light. The other was much smaller, barely a flicker in comparison. A thin golden line connected them.

  "Pay attention," Velarion said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "The larger circle represents the source, raw, untainted energy. The smaller one is your own energy pool, the amount your body can safely handle."

  I frowned, eyes darting between the two. The size difference was staggering. The larger circle practically hummed with restrained power, while the smaller one felt insignificant in comparison. Was that really all I could handle?

  Velarion gestured toward the thin golden line.

  "Beings with the Energy Manipulation skill can convert raw energy into a form attuned to them. But there’s a limit to how much they can process at any given time."

  I crossed my arms. "Okay, but… why? Why can’t we just take in as much as we want?"

  Velarion shot me a flat look. "Because you'd die."

  I flinched.

  "What you did," he continued, his voice sharper now, "was take raw energy straight from the source. And because your aura is still unrefined, it was used as is, completely unfiltered."

  I swallowed hard. That… didn’t sound good.

  He tapped the golden line with his horn, making it shimmer. "This line here? It's the conversion limit. It keeps raw energy from overwhelming your system, gradually turning it into something usable. But you don’t have a proper filter yet. The energy passed through you unobstructed."

  I stared at the small circle, my chest tightening. "What… would have happened if I kept going?"

  Velarion’s expression darkened. "You would have been disintegrated, reduced to raw energy and absorbed back into the source. No body. No soul. Just... gone and that’s the best case scenario, if the system decided to punish you for your energy consumption, it would be much much worse."

  A heavy silence followed. My stomach twisted, my earlier frustration replaced with cold dread.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I had been standing on the edge of oblivion without even realizing it.

  My stomach twisted. Unlimited energy sounded amazing in theory, but from the looks of it, I had been playing with something far beyond my control.

  "So what do I do now?"

  Velarion fell silent for a moment, thinking. Then he said, "It’s sooner than I wanted, but you need to define your own energy type. It won’t be perfect, but the skill is too useful to leave locked forever."

  ” I used the skill to help heal someone. Won’t attuning my energy prevent me from doing it again?"

  Velarion’s expression flickered with surprise. "Manipulating energy from any living creature is nearly impossible. The soul has an innate defense, it resists external influence instinctively, protecting itself from outside interference."

  He studied me for a moment before continuing. "You were probably able to do it for two reasons. First, the person you healed wasn’t integrated into the system. Without that connection, there were no external rules governing their energy, making it easier to interact with. Second, as you mentioned, your own energy wasn’t attuned. That lack of definition allowed it to bypass the usual restrictions, slipping through barriers that would normally block such manipulation."

  His gaze grew thoughtful. "As for healing magic itself, there are multiple ways to approach it. Most healers channel nature or life energy, enhancing the body’s natural regeneration and accelerating the healing process without interfering too much with its natural state. It’s the safest and most widely used method."

  He paused, his tone shifting slightly. "But there are also more… unorthodox techniques. Some healers work with soul energy, using it to patch leaks in a person’s essence and reinforce their defenses. This method is far more direct, but it carries significant risks. The soul is delicate, tampering with it improperly can leave lasting scars, weaken a person’s energy flow, or even alter their very essence."

  He held my gaze. "I won’t take you to an unanchored world next time. You’ll remain here, at the very edge of Earth’s reality barrier."

  I frowned. "How will that help?"

  "The border between the astral and reality is the best place to observe the flow of energy. You need to figure out something that speaks to you, like I said it won’t be perfect but that can be rectified with time. It’s dangerous to be exposed directly to the astral but you can handle a few hours now ."

  "So… the same eight hours I get now?"

  Velarion snorted. "Less. Without the reality barrier buffering you, your exposure will be direct. You’ll be resisting the influence of the astral instead of simply existing within it."

  A horrible thought struck me. My voice came out higher pitched than I wanted. "So I could get corrupted?"

  Velarion smirked, clearly amused by my sudden worry. "Just focus on your energy. Don’t get distracted, and you’ll be fine."

  That wasn’t exactly reassuring.

  "Now, enough questions. Go back to your body and rest. We start tonight."

  exhaled slowly, grounding myself. This was happening, whether I was ready or not.

  The world around me faded as my consciousness was pulled away from the astral. The transition was smoother this time, less jarring like slipping into warm water instead of crashing through ice. When I opened my eyes, I was back in my body, the familiar weight of reality settling around me.

  I lay there for a few moments, staring at the ceiling, letting my mind adjust. The contrast between the astral and the physical was always strange, like stepping out of a vivid dream into a world that felt duller, heavier. But I had no time to waste. With a groan, I rolled out of bed and headed straight for a quick shower and breakfast before making my way back to the gym.

  The moment I stepped inside, I regretted it.

  The attention was almost unbearable. It felt like everyone was sneaking glances my way, some more obvious than others. it drained my social energy fast.

  At one point, a girl approached me, all smiles and curiosity. She spent ten minutes asking about my workout routine, which I didn’t exactly have, before casually slipping me her number. I accepted it out of politeness, but the whole exchange left me feeling... weird. Not uncomfortable, just out of place.

  Once I finished, I jogged back home, my body barely feeling the effort. My stamina had increased so much that even a solid run didn’t break a sweat.

  Another shower, because why not,and I spent the rest of the afternoon meditating.

  I had figured out last time that I was naturally drawn to "calm" concepts. That realization had been a little disappointing at first. Who wouldn’t want something flashy? Fireballs, lightning storms, massive waves of destruction, that kind of power always seemed more impressive. But I forced myself to set aside my disappointment. Power wasn’t about how it looked, it was about how you used it.

  With that in mind, I focused, trying to refine my energy concept.

  At first, it felt like a mess of scattered thoughts and vague emotions, but I started noticing a pattern. No matter what idea I considered, there was always something off, some aspect that didn’t quite resonate with me.

  Take rain, for example. I liked how it made me feel. The steady rhythm, the way it dulled the noise of the world, the way it wrapped everything in a quiet, contemplative stillness. But… I didn’t actually care about rain itself. I wasn’t drawn to water, nor did I enjoy being wet.

  The night sky was another thing I considered. I loved looking up at the stars, but the more I focused, the more I realized something strange. I wasn’t drawn to the stars themselves, I was drawn to the darkness between them. The empty, infinite space stretching between galaxies, vast and untouchable.

  That realization sent a shiver down my spine.

  There was something there. Something I needed to explore.

  Time slipped away without me noticing, my thoughts spiraling deeper into the concept, testing different perspectives, trying to grasp something just beyond my reach.

  Then, the alarm I had set jolted me back to reality.

  I sat up, expecting some stiffness or soreness, but my body felt perfectly fine. It was strange. No fatigue, no aches, like I had just woken up from the most restful sleep imaginable.

  Shaking off the last remnants of my meditation, I got dressed. I pulled on my post apocalyptic attire. It was more of a habit at this point. Whether or not I actually needed it in the astral, it made me feel prepared.

  With a deep breath, I lay back down on my bed.

  Tonight, I would take another step forward.